Cobblers

It’s big business. There are 475,000 school-aged children living in Wales, 1,200 of whom attend Ysgol Brynhyfryd. There’s a total of 9½ million four to 16 year olds in the UK so what better reason to flog the current ‘back to school’ message currently hitting us in adverts and in shop windows. After all, each child will presumably require at least some uniform, games kit, underwear, shoes, boots, bags and stationery.

Would you be tempted to do some of your ‘back to school’ shopping at Rhuthun’s Tesco? With packs of three shirts on three for two, it’s possible to buy nine teenage school shirts for as little as £1.33 each. That’s almost disposable shirts, which the cynic might say is about as long as a £1.33 shirt is likely to stay stitched together, anyway.

But there’s a snag (if you’ll excuse the pun). Ysgol Brynhyfryd no longer favours the traditional collared shirt on sale at Tesco! What are Tesco thinking of? There’s presumably no market for such items in and around Rhuthun. So much for Tesco being in touch with its community.
No matter, there are the more modish and now all-year-round acceptable polo shirts. Same packs of three, same three for two. A polo shirt works out at £1 each. Here, Tesco may be on a winner but the clear preference among Ysgol Brynhyfryd students—and probably a uniform rule for all I know—is for a bespoke shirt with school logo. Tesco doesn’t stock these. Neither does Ethel Austin (whose plain polo shirts retail at £5 for two).

The only place to buy Brynhyfryd-branded polo shirts is Threads, Clwyd Street. Depending upon size, they retail at £8.95 or £11.95. And that's quite a difference in price to Tesco's.

But sadly, you can’t get all your school requirements in Rhuthun. Try the outdoor shop in Well Street for waterproofs, bags and some boots. Fineline and First House will get you pens and paper, as will Tesco. Threads has games kits.

But sadly, no shoes. School shoes are that other clothing essential. Where once there were two suitable outlets in Rhuthun’s Clwyd Street, including one where you could find almost any style among the hordes of pairs within, the only shoe retailer in town is for the fashion conscious 30-something lady, a market potentially of no more than about 350 people in town.

It’s cobblers if you want anything else.